It's rather fitting then she goes by three names. Carolyn, aka Dot and Russian (as in rushing around), was recognised for her years of service to the game by being named the 21st life member of the Central West Cricket Council at their recent annual general meeting.

Sheehan said she was "overwhelmed" by the accolade which was presented by her mentor and fellow life member Greg Griffith who spoke about her "considerable contribution" to the game.

As part of role she has mentored a number of female players who have gone onto state careers including Lisa Griffith who sent a message about Sheehan being the "heart and soul" of female cricket in country NSW.

Sheehan is synonymous with women's cricket throughout Country NSW after more than 40-years serving as a player, coach, manager, women's delegate, umpire and selector. In 2004/2005 she became coach of the then Mitchell Cricket Council female teams - and has held the role ever since.

Coming from a sporting family with games of cricket on Christmas Day the norm, her love of cricket started from a young age and she started playing in junior boys teams which was " virtually unheard" at the time.

After representing at Country and NSW levels, she turned her hand to coaching at local, zone, country and state level.

"People put lot of time into me when I was younger and the way we were brought up in my family is that you had an obligation to give back so that's what I'm doing but having a lot of fun along the way," she said.

"Cricket is a really good and inclusive sport and you make a lot of life-long friends along the way as well get a lot of enjoyment.

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"I have to thank the Mudgee District Junior Cricket Association for their support. Ever since I was playing I was seen as a cricketer, not a female cricketer and that is something I have tried to continue."

She said her goal is to one day replicate the Sydney women's competition and have an all-female weekend tournament in country NSW. She would also like to see an increase in female coaches, mentors and administrators .

"The good thing is females are not missing out and learning the game and enjoying it," she said.

"The game is always changing and evolving so you can always learn new things. For me, the different formats and training techniques keep me motivated to keep learning so I can pass them on. There is nothing better than seeing kids reach their goals and having fun."

The committee also introduced a new award - named after Carolyn - to be presented each season to the female player of the year in the Central West area.

It joins a long list of accolades for Sheehan which includes:

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